I S I 



• were obliged trt. take an oath of fecrecy-. They held for 

 f\'me days fucceflively, but grpw fo fcandaloas, that the fenate 

 abolilhed them at Rome, under the confiilate of Pifo and 

 Gabinius. They were re-eftabliflied by Augullus, and the 

 emperor Commodus hiir.felf affilled at tliem, appearing among 

 the priei'is of that goddefs with his head Ihaven, and carrying 

 the Anubis. 



ISIAC Table is one of the moft confiderable monu- 

 ments of antiquity, being a plate of copper or brafs, dif- 

 covered at Rome, in 1525, and fiippofed by the various 

 ■figures in bas relief upon it, to reprefent the feafts of Ilis, 

 and other Egyptian deities. 



With regard to the hiilory of this monument, we may ob- 

 ferve, that the copper or brafs ground was overlaid with a 

 black enamel, artificially intermixed with fmall plates of filver. 

 When, in the year j J25, the conllable of Bourbon took the 

 city of Rome, a lockfmith bought it from a foldier, and then 

 lold it to cardinal Bembo, after whofe death it came ijito 

 the hands of the duke of Mantua, and was kept in that 

 •family till it was loil at the taking of that city by the Impe- 

 riahils in the year i6jo, nor has it been ever heard of fince. 

 By good fortune it had been engraved in its full proportion, 

 and with all pofllble exacin'efs, by TEneas Vico of Parma. 

 This tablet was divided into three horizontal compartments, 

 in each^of which were different fcenes, containing different 

 adtions. Thofe compartments are, as it were, different car- 

 touches, dillinguilhed fometimcs by fingle ftrokes only, but 

 oftener by a very. large fafcia, which is full of hieroglyphics, 

 that is, of that myfterious writing, confecrated by the an- 

 cient Egyptians to the myfteries of religion. The four 

 fides of the table were ir.clofed with a bordei-, filled up, like 

 .the ground, with feveral figures of the Egyptian gods, and 

 ■in'ith a great number of hieroglyphics. There have been 

 various opinions as to the antiquity of this monument : 

 fome have fuppofed that it was engraved long before the 

 time when the Egyptians worfliipped the figures of men 

 and women. Others, among whom is bifliop Warburton, 

 apprehend, that it was made at Rome, by perfons attached 

 -to the worfhip of Ifis. Dr. Wiirburton confiders it as one 

 of the moft modern of the Egyptian monuments, on account 

 of the great mixture of hieroglyphic charadlers which it 

 iears. 



It has been alfo a queftion, whatever may be thought of 

 .the antiquity of this tablet, whetiier it only reprefeiits the 

 myfteries of Ifis, whofe figure, placed in a fort of niche, 

 occupies the centre; or wkether it contains the principal 

 points of the Egyptian theology, fince all their gods are 

 here xeprefented. pignorius, Kirchcr, and Cliifflct, have 

 .offered their various conjectures concerning the defign and 

 .5neaning of this monument. The abbe Banier (in his " My- 

 ithology, &c." vol. i. p. 567.) declares it to be lus opinion, 

 that it was a votive table, which fome prince, or private 

 perfon, had confecrated to Ifis, as an acknowledginent for 

 fome benefit wiuch he believed flie had conferred uponiii;n. 

 That goddefs occupies the principal place in it, and the de- 

 iign of varying her attitudes anti fymbols, muft have been 

 to point out to us, in how many different modes (lie was 

 jteprefented, as v/ell as the different facrifices tliat were 

 offered to her. Accordingly, three forts of thefc are there 

 So be obferved, one of animals, another of plants, .and a 

 third of libations. Perhaps the perfon who had confecrated 

 (this table to Ifjs, had offered to her all thefe forts of facri- 

 lices, either for having been cured of fome fevere difeafe, 

 *r for having been delivered from fome great danger, to 

 which he had been expofed by fea ; for that j;oddefs was 

 .equally invoked in difeafes, and when people were entering 

 iipoa along voyage; fince the epithets of " Salataris" and 



I S I 



" Pelagia" were added to her name. Nothing was more 

 common than the votive tables, confecrated to Ifis. AU 

 the temples of this goddefs were full of them ; and works 

 of that fort procured a living to great numbers of painters, 

 as we learn from Juvenal (Sat. 18.) : 



" Et quam votiva tcftantur fano tabella 



Plurima, Piftores quis ncfcit ab Ifide pafci." 



ISIACI, priefts of the goddefs Ifis. Diofcorides tell* 

 us, that they bore a branch of fea-wormwood in their lianda 

 inftead of olive. They fung the praifes of tlie goddefs 

 twice a day, -j.'a. at the rifing of the fun, when they opened 

 her temple ; after which they begged alms the reft of the 

 day, and returning at night, repeated their orifoiis, and ftmt 

 up the temple. 



Such was the life and office of the Ifiaci ; they, never 

 covered their feet with any thing but the thin bark of the 

 plant papyrus, which occafioned Prudentius and others Ut 

 fay they went bare-footed. They wore no garments but 

 linen, becaufe Ifis was the firft who taught mankind the cul- 

 ture of this com.niodity. See Diodorus Siculus, and Plu- 

 tarch's Ifis and Ofiris. 



ISIDORE of Pchjliim, in Bw-raphy, a celebrated dif- 

 ciple of St. John Cbryfoftom, and diftinguiflicd in the Greek 

 and Roman calendars by the epithet of " Saint," was by 

 birth an Egyptian ; and flourifhed, as the contemporary v.( 

 Nonnus, and, according to Cave, about the year 412. As 

 his name docs not occur after the year 433, he probably died 

 before the middle of the fifth century. Ke embraced the 

 monaflic hfe at Pelufium,and acquired, by his aufterities and 

 indefatigable application to literary ftudies, high reputation 

 for fanftity, learning, and eloquence, fo that he «as ho- 

 noured by the Greeks with the appellation of " the famous."' 

 Facundus fays, that he wrote 2000 cpiftles for tlie edifi- 

 cation of the church ; and Suidas afcribes to him 3000, 

 explanatory of the fcriptures. Of thefe there are ftill ex- 

 tant 261 2, in five books ; of which Moflieim fpeaks in terms 

 of high com.mendation : faying of them, that though they are 

 ffiort, they are admirably written, botli with refpeft to the 

 folidity of the matter, and the purity and elegance of their 

 ftyle. He adds, that they manifeft more piety, genius, 

 erudition, and wifdom, thas are to be found in the volu- 

 minous produttions of many other writers, and that they 

 call a confiderable -degree of light upon feveral parts of 

 fcripture. Dr. Lardner, citing a differtadon of Dr. Heu- 

 mann on Ifidore of Pelufium (apud Primitias Gottingenfes, 

 Hanover, 175S, 4to. ), informs us, that this learned writer 

 argues, that moft of IliJorc's letters are fiftitious, and not ■ 

 a real correfpondence ; and, fays Lardner, he feems to have 

 proved what he advances. Ifidore has largely quoted all, 

 or moft of the canonical books of the Old Teilament ; but 

 he very feldom quotes any apocryphal books He alfo 

 often cites the four gofpch, the aSs of the apoftlcs, and all 

 St. Paul's epiftles, except that to Philemon. He likewife 

 quotes and explains paifages of the epiftle of James, tlie 

 firft and fecond epiftle of Peter, and the firft epiftle of John. 

 He explains the 8th verfe of the fecond epilile of John, and 

 there is no reafon to doubt his having received the other. He 

 explains a pafi'age of the epiftie of Jude ; and ules fevcrai 

 expreffions that feem to have been taken from the bfiok of 

 Revelation : fo that, upon the whole, his canon of fcripture 

 was the fame as -our's. Ifidore had a great refpeoi for the 

 fcriptures, and often recommends the peruiai of them. 

 The bell edition of his- works' was pnbliftied at Paris, m 

 Greek and Latin, 1638, folio. Cave. Dupin. Moiheim. 

 Lardner. 



IsicouE of Seville, was an .eminent fciftiop of this city in 



Spain 



